Knott’s Berry Farm to Add Coast Rider & Flat Rides for 2013

For a while we’ve been wondering what Knott’s Berry Farm was going to add for their rumored 2013 roller coaster. There was a huge giga-sized rumor for a while and then buzz about a smaller coaster. The latter has come to fruition as Knott’s Berry Farm has announced Coast Rider for 2013.

Coast Rider is a large Mack wild mouse roller coaster. They’re also adding flat rides Surfside Glider and Pacific Scrambler. In the image below you can see the flat rides in the foreground using the area where Perilous Plunge used to be. Behind them and to the right, you can see Coast Rider.Read more about Knott’s Berry Farms new 2013 attractions.

Does Knott’s Need More Family Attractions?

I doubt that a smaller coaster like this is going to boost attendance a whole lot, but I’d like to hear what locals think. Are family rides a need for Knott’s? The park already seems to have a number of compact coasters like Pony Express and Sierra Sidewinder. You also have to keep in mind the demographic that the park might be after. Maybe they’re happy with just Xcelerator, Silver Bullet, and Ghost Rider as their thrill rides. And they’d just like to counter the thrill park Magic Mountain, with a more family-friendly roster. I don’t know, I’m just speculating about the park’s strategy. Again, I’d like to hear from locals and those more familiar with the park.

What do you think of this news? Do you think this will be a good addition for Knott’s? Leave a comment below and vote in this poll.

Coast Rider would have been a GREAT theme for a mega coaster! But yeah, having recently been to Knott's, I also don't see the need for this addition with Sierra Sidewinder and Pony Express being there. Yes, the Boardwalk section didn't have a "true" family coaster, but did it really need one? A Boomerang isn't THAT much more of a thrill than a family coaster. As a coaster junkie, I took a solo trip to Knott's while in Cali for work and was completely done with the park in less than two hours. These additions don't add much incentive for people like me to want to go back. But, as you said, the park might just be trying to strengthen its appeal to the teenies and families, as it seemed like that was the vast majority of the park's audience.

Ghost Rider needs Topper Track before they spend lots of money on a new thrill coaster. It's not a fun ride, now. I couldn't care less about their new wild mouse. I think Montezooma's Revenge is the last Schwarzkopf shuttle loop in the US. Silver Bullet is the least exciting B&M inverted I've been on. I rank it last behind Alpengeist, Afterburn, Raptor, Flight Deck, several Batmen, Great Bear, and Talon. The overbank is unique but the ride is forceless except the final helix. As for hype for a new coaster, there wasn't any – it was mostly rumors and wishful thinking.

Although a B&M mega would have been a fantastic addition to KBF in 2013, I truly wasn't expecting it. KBF is my home park and we get passes every year. Not in 2013. I have been to Six Flags as well, but no where near as much as KBF. I am looking forward to Full Throttle way more than a wild mouse! Wait, who am I kidding, I gotta ride the mouse! While this will be a nice family addition (which is EXCATLY what KBF needs…"not"), I feel they could have better used the space. Maybe a El Loco, X-Car, or Eurofighter would have a better appeal to the general public. I am still hoping for a B&M mega in 2014 or 2015; I just don't wanna get too excited. As for the colors of Coast Rider, I really hope it isn't orange. They have 3 orange family coasters already! Maybe a blue or yellow would fit the theme better.

Now it's rumored that it will be a mix between a hypercoaster and a wild mouse. I don't know if it's true but that's what I've been hearing from people I know who live in the area. But if it isn't a thrill ride I doubt I'd ever want to go to KBF since I'm big on thrills, and I'm really big on themed coasters (ie, BGW, which is a day's drive away from me, opened Verbolten in 2012, it wasn't very good the second go but the first was pretty exciting.) But, since I'm not likely to ever visit this park anyway since I live in Maryland, why do I care?

As a CHEAP and very welcome alternative to the outrageously priced Disneyland during this recession, I'm very pleased that Knott's remains committed to family rides. Frankly, I'd rather they installed something that wasn't a coaster, but they only have one thrill ride in the entire park my 40-inch, 4-year-old can ride, and if she can ride the new coaster, I'm all for it. If you want more extreme coasters, go to Magic Mountain and hang out with the gangs.

do they need new family rides? i dunno i guess so. like disneyland they’re more geared towards family entertainment and we try to go to knotts at least every couple years for a family get together, but it would be cool for them to have a new thrill ride. I like Boomerang, Ghost Rider and Excelerator and the Jaguar’s not a thrill ride but its pretty fun. Actually Knotts is a fun park, I’d rather go there then to the bloated greedy park that’s Disneyland any day of the year.